What:
Press Conference – National Consumer Protection Week

Who:
Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, State of Illinois
Tom Brady, Inspector-in-Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Steve Baker, Director, Federal Trade Commission
Norma Reyes, Commissioner, City of Chicago, Department of Consumer Affairs
Steve Bernas, President, Better Business Bureau
Victims of consumer fraud

When:
Thursday, March 5 – 11 a.m.

Where:
Thompson Center
Blue Room – 15th Floor

Background:
The U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service will join federal, state and local agencies in providing consumers with tools for surviving today’s economy by providing tips to prevent identity theft and by increasing awareness of fraudulent schemes, during National Consumer Protection Week, March 1-7. Representatives will explain how consumers can avoid dangerous swindles and schemes during a press conference at the Thompson Center, and will pass out literature from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Thompson Center lobby.

National Consumer Protection Week is a week of activities sponsored primarily by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to draw attention to fraud and other threats to consumers.

The U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service play leading roles in increasing public awareness of identity theft and fraudulent mailing schemes. The organizations state that, according to the FTC, as little as 2 percent of all victims reported that the identity crimes they experienced were through the U.S. Mail. The Postal Service’s commitment to protecting customers’ private information was recognized for the fifth consecutive year when it was named Most Trusted Government Agency in the independent Ponemon Institute Privacy Study last month.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.